BIRMINGHAM,
Alabama - A Jefferson County judge has permanently barred controversial
supplement company S.W.A.T.S. from advertising and selling its products,
including deer antler spray, in the state of Alabama or with Alabama consumers.

In an order
filed shortly after noon Thursday, Circuit Judge Caryl P. Privett granted a
permanent injunction against the company and its two founders, as requested by
the Attorney General's office.

In a news
release, Attorney General Luther Strange said the order is an important victory
to protect the consumers of Alabama from the company's unsupported and
dangerous health claims.

Privett
wrote in her order that "the state has proven, through its evidence and the
testimony of its many expert witnesses, that Defendants sold mislabeled,
misleading, and in some cases, dangerous products to the public."

The order also states that the defendants "simply attempted to supply the bare minimum of what FDA law required of them." They claimed that their supplements could treat certain diseases and conditions, but only FDA-approved drugs can make such claims.

At a Sept. 19
hearing, Privett granted a preliminary injunction against S.W.A.T.S. (Sports
with Alternatives to Steroids), citing concerns about several products, in
particular the so-called concussion caps.

On Sept. 5,
investigators with the AG's Consumer Protection Office and Jefferson County
sheriff's deputies raided
the business on Highway 31 North in Fultondale. During the raid,
court-appointed receivers took over the business and seized all company assets
- approximately $200,000 in cash and vehicles.

Privett
found SWATS and its officers to be in violation of all counts and also made
permanent the previous appointment of a receiver to safeguard remaining assets
and to handle consumer claims against the company, according to the news
release.

Authorities contend S.W.A.T.S. has become a multi-million dollar
business through "a combination of controversy, shock advertising, and the
declaration that its products are world leaders in the sports performance
industry."

"The
extreme and even absurd nature of health claims made by this company could be
harmful to those who might rely on these products and believe their health
needs were being met," Strange said in the release. "But even more worrisome
were the potential dangers from some of the products themselves. Our
action and the judge's order should serve as a warning that we will not allow
companies to defraud and endanger the consumers of Alabama. I am proud of the
outstanding work by our Consumer Protection Section to bring this case to a
successful conclusion."

The case
was handled by Assistant Attorneys General Noel Barnes, Kyle Beckman and
Cameron McEwen.

Each witness
expressed serious concerns about the lack of evidence supporting claims on the
S.W.A.T.S. website and in YouTube videos that their products could, among other
things, boost testosterone levels, slow effects of aging, strengthen the immune
system and improve athletic performance.

Testimony showed
that the claims made about S.W.A.T. products were not supported by scientific
studies or data gathered during clinical trials.

The company
maintained that the spray, which contains a hormone called insulin-like growth
factor 1, reduces cancer, alleviates anemia, controls blood pressure,
increases testosterone, and reduces concussive trauma to the brain.

The company refers to a study conducted by an
Australian agency to support their stance, but that study includes no
references and cites no specific clinical trials, according to testimony from
Dr. Larry Bowers, a scientist with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

As part of the
investigation, AG officials sent samples of S.W.A.T.S. products to the Sports
Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory in Salt Lake City, a laboratory
approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Scientists found no evidence the
sprays and tablets contained any deer IGF-1, and instead identified cows or
humans as the likely source of the hormone.

The concussion cap's
label advises users to "Place on head after contact to minimize
inflammation of the brain."

In the order issued Thursday, Privett, who had expressed particular concern about the caps, noted that the cap alone could "provide a basis for a permanent shut-down of the business of S.W.A.T.S. or any other business activities of the defendants."

Consumers
and creditors should make claims directly to the Receiver, GlassRatner
Management and Realty Advisors, before a deadline of January 31, 2014.
Claims must be regarding activities or business conducted by SWATS through
September 5, 2013.

Claims may be filed through the receivership website, www.swatsreceivership.com, or by
mail or other delivery to SWATS Receivership, c/o GlassRatner Management and
Realty Advisors LLC, 3424 Peachtree Road, Suite 2150, Atlanta, GA., 30326.
Claims must include all documentation and other information and supportive
evidence. It is required that all materials must arrive at
Receiver's office or website by January 31, 2014.